About Us

Caithness Wildlife Tours

Caithness Wildlife Tours is based near the spectacular cliffs of Dunnet Head, the most northerly point on mainland Britain, and approximately twelve miles from John O’Groats, the most north easterly town on mainland Scotland.

We offer Wildlife and Sightseeing Tours for small groups of up to six people in our luxury minibus, and can collect you from a location that suits you in Thurso if required. We also provide high-quality binoculars and a powerful Swarovski telescope to ensure you get the most from your wildlife watching experience.

We are flexible, willing, and able to respond to your requests with Tailor-made Tours. Perhaps there is something you particularly want to see, or maybe you are travelling the North Coast 500 and would just like to explore Caithness. Let us know! You can be sure we will do our best for you.

Your Guide

Kate Willis is a professional ecologist with a BSc in zoology, an MSc and PhD in aquatic ecology, and many years experience as an environmental scientist and amateur naturalist who has spent many years studying and watching wildlife in Scotland, New Zealand, Tasmania, and Spitsbergen. Kate is an experienced hill walker and a trained Summer Mountain Leader with a certificate in Outdoor Emergency First Aid. She is a a member of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club and the Caithness Biodiversity Group.

Group Size

We limit the group size to a maximum of six people to ensure that you will see more and that your Wildlife or Sightseeing Tour will be a memorable experience.

We listen carefully to what you would like to see and where you would like to go. No two days are the same. We are flexible and able to respond to your needs. We are here to help you!

Our Operating Policy

As an ecotourism business, we want to ensure that the Caithness wildlife and countryside is not affected by our activities and is preserved for future generations. “We leave only footprints and take only memories” (and photos).

Wildlife You Might See

Your wildlife tour will be planned to maximise the chances of seeing your target species, taking into account the seasonality of many species in Caithness. Some species, including deer, birds of prey, otters, and seals are present year round. Cliff nesting sea birds arrive in spring (April/May) and leave in late summer and autumn (August/September). Passage migrants are best seen in spring or autumn as they pass through Caithness on their seasonal migrations, while other coastal and wetland species are summer or winter visitors to Caithness. Some resident species (such as curlew, lapwing, redshank, dunlin) may move inland during the breeding season, but gather in flocks on the coast in winter.

Have a look at the Wildlife Diary, visit us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to see which species are likely to be in Caithness when you are here, but please note that we can never 100% guarantee that we will see any given species on a tour.